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. 2024 Jul 17;17(7):100932.
doi: 10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100932. eCollection 2024 Jul.

Recent prevalence of allergic rhinitis caused by house dust mites among the pediatric population in Fukui, Japan

Yoshimasa Imoto  1 , Masafumi Sakashita  1 , Takahiro Tokunaga  2 , Masafumi Kanno  1 , Kyoko Saito  1 , Anna Shimizu  1 , Ayako Maegawa  1 , Shigeharu Fujieda  1
Affiliations

Recent prevalence of allergic rhinitis caused by house dust mites among the pediatric population in Fukui, Japan

Yoshimasa Imoto et al. World Allergy Organ J. .

Abstract

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an IgE-mediated type I allergic chronic nasal disease common among all age groups, including the pediatric population. House dust mites (HDMs) are globally ubiquitous and the most important indoor aeroallergen. However, the recent prevalence of HDM-caused AR (AR-HDM) in Japan remains unknown, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the current prevalence of AR-HDM, its clinical features, and the current status of medical examinations in elementary school students.

Methods: A survey of 41,000 elementary school students was conducted during July 2021 in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire that examined allergic disease history and clinical background.

Results: A total of 17,974 subjects were analyzed in the study. The results showed that the current prevalence of AR-HDM in elementary school children is 18.8%. We found that AR-HDM had already developed before entrance into elementary school in 68.3% of affected subjects. Among these subjects, 82.3% had received some form of treatment, such as prescription medications, whereas 4.2% were treated by allergen immunotherapy. Multiple logistic regression analysis of the onset of AR-HDM revealed that male sex, being the first-born child, comorbidity of bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, and allergic conjunctivitis are associated with development of AR-HDM.

Conclusions: The present study revealed the prevalence of AR-HDM in elementary school children. The results emphasize the importance of appropriate diagnosis and treatment from infancy through early childhood.

Keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Atopic march; Elementary school children; House dust mites; Onset of allergic rhinitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the survey. A total of 22,082 children were surveyed, and 4108 children were excluded because of inappropriate answers. There were no missing values regarding the diagnosis of AR-HDM. Finally, 17,974 (43.8%) subjects were analyzed in the study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The cumulative incidence rate and new onset rate of AR-HDM. (A) The cumulative incidence rate of AR-HDM increased gradually and reached a plateau at 10 years of age. The prevalence and 95% 95% CI were calculated. (B) The new onset rate of AR-HDM peaked at 3 years of age, whereas the rate of new cases decreased after 7 years of age. The prevalence and 95% 95% CI were calculated
figs1
figs1
Survey questionnaire. Parents were asked to complete the questionnaire, indicating the child’s age, sex, height, weight, number of siblings, and birth order.
figs2
figs2
(A) Cumulative incidence rate of AR-HDM according to sex. The cumulative incidence rate of AR-HDM in boys was higher than that in girls among all ages. The cumulative incidence rate increased gradually with age and plateaued at 10 years of age. The prevalence and 95% CI were calculated. (B) New onset rate of AR-HDM according to sex. The new onset rate of AR-HDM peaked at 3 years of age, whereas the rate of new cases decreased after 7 years of age in both boys and girls. The prevalence and 95% CI were calculated (▲; male, ●; female).
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